Surgeons typically employ craniofacial reconstruction or augmentation to correct craniofacial defects caused by, for example, congenital malformations, traumatic injuries, or disfigurement resulting from cancer surgery. For instance, the craniofacial defect may be an aperture in the skull. The aperture may extend into or through the entire thickness of the skull.
Several surgical procedures have been developed to correct craniofacial defects. For example, an orthopedic implant may be implanted in or over the craniofacial defect. These orthopedic implants may be wholly or partly made of a suitable biocompatible material such as polyethylene or any other suitable polymer. Given that the craniofacial defects as well as the shape and size of the skulls vary from patient to patient, it is difficult to manufacture an orthopedic implant suitable for all craniofacial defects. Instead, orthopedic implants are designed to be cut and shaped to conform to a defect on a case-by-case basis. Thus, it is desirable to trim and shape the orthopedic implants so that the shape and the size of the orthopedic implant substantially match the shape and size of the craniofacial defect.